DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — While record-setting performances always get track and field fans out of their seats, most coaches realize that the amount of points an athlete racks up can make the stopwatch a bit irrelevant.
Fortunately for Orono coach Chris Libby, he got the best of both worlds from his boys squad at Foxcroft Academy on Monday afternoon as they added more track hardware to the growing collection in the Red Riots’ trophy case.
Senior thrower Jake Koffman set two records in two events and the Red Riots rode outstanding performances across the board to compile 152 points to win yet another PVC small-school championship, well ahead of runner-up George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill’s 119.
Caribou finished third with 81 points, while Washington Academy of East Machias scored 64 to take fourth place and Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln fifth with 29.5 to round out the top five.
Koffman, who is headed to Stanford University on a track scholarship, set a Foxcroft facility record with a heave of 58 feet, 3.75 inches in the shot put and followed that up by throwing 191-5 in the discus, good for a new league record.
Those efforts were also good enough to earn Koffman the meet’s Top Performer award.
Not bad considering he had been battling a groin injury earlier this month.
“I had to take a little time off,” Koffman admitted.
But the Riots’ senior clearly showed he hasn’t missed a beat, cutting into a headwind to throw 191-5 on his final toss of the discus preliminary round.
Oddly, the strong breeze played into Koffman’s favor.
“A headwind is pretty helpful because it provides a lift for the discus,” he said.
When he returns here Saturday for the Class C state championships, Koffman has one final mindset: Getting above that 191-foot mark and officially etching himself into the state record books.
“I’m really happy with my consistency,” he said.
Consistency is also a huge factor into why Orono has been one of the state’s most successful track programs under Libby’s guidance, and it showed again Monday.
Even though the final team scores indicate a dominating Riot performance, Libby wasn’t going to let his boys take talented GSA and Caribou teams for granted.
“Those GSA boys, they’re well coached, they know the sport well, they come to meets with a lot of heart,” Libby said.
It turned out the Riots just had a little too much depth for GSA and Caribou on this day, with distance man Jacob Fandel putting down an impressive 1-minute, 59.54-second clocking in winning the 800 while also finishing second in the 3,200.
Sprinter Stephen Nelson joined Koffman and Fandel in earning individual wins for Orono, claiming the 300 hurdles in 40.97 seconds.
Nelson would add a pair of second-place runs in the 100 and 200 dashes, while Orono’s other win came from its 4×100 relay team.
“I’m really proud at how the boys competed today, there were places where they could’ve fallen down in their seeds and they didn’t,” said Libby.
But for the Riots, this is simply another step toward a bigger goal.
“It’s quite important that we keep that perspective that we’re not done yet,” Libby said.
WA senior Michaiah Robinson and Mattanawcook sophomore Cayden Spencer-Thompson both had outstanding days, combining for five victories.
Robinson swept the dashes, running 11.31 in the 100, 22.91 in the 200 and 51.03 in the 400 while Spencer-Thompson broke a league record in the triple jump with a mark of 47-1.
He also won the long jump (20-11.75).
The competition’s other double-winner was GSA distance runner John Hassett.
Hassett, who will run for UMaine next year, posted a winning effort of 4:38.96 in the 1,600 and 10:09.56 in the 3,200. He was also second in the 800.
Other individual champs were Central of Corinth’s Joe Cormier in the 110 hurdles, Max Mattson of GSA in the high jump, WA’s Garrett Channell in the javelin and Erik Taylor-Lash of GSA in the 1600 racewalk.
